Cognitive Dysfunction
Symptoms of Cognitive Dysfunction in Cancer

The symptoms of cognitive impairment among people with cancer vary widely based upon severity of dysfunction.

The symptoms of mild cognitive impairment are often referred to as "chemo brain" or "mental fatigue" and include vulnerability in complex information handling, susceptibility to distraction, and exhaustion with tasks requiring mental energy. "Chemo-brain" represents a lack of clear thought, not remembering what you are talking about, failing to remember what you are doing, forgetting phone numbers, and asking questions only to repeat them 15 minutes later.

A more extreme form of cognitive impairment more common in advanced illness is known as delirium. The symptoms of delirium include disordered attention and thinking commonly associated with lack of coordination in executing activities, disturbed sleep-wake cycle, disorganized thinking and speech, altered perceptions, and changes in mood. Different than dementia, delirium has an acute onset, has a fluctuating level of alertness, and generally only affects short-term memory.